Trolley safety clutch



Patented Aug. 23, i923.,

' w'ILLri-xivrn. Rasmus, or rnnnrnnnnnon, Mrssouer.

" TROLLEY SAFETY CLUTCH.

Application' filed August 13, 1921. SeralNo. 4991,92?.

To @ZZ whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I. WILLIAM B. HAsKiNs,

a citizen of the VUnited States, residing at Independence, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri,l haveinvented certain new and usefullmprovements in rllrolley Safety Clutches, of which the following is a.. full, clear, and exact description, such as will enf able'others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the saine. y

The invention relates to a safety clutch for the trolleys'o'f electric cable propelled cars to arrest the upward thrust of the trolleyT when it accidentally leaves the trollc ywire so that the trolley will not become en` meshed in the usual. overhead wires andin- V jure the wires or trolley, or both.

The usual trolley is thrust `upwardly against the trolley wire with such force that the entire trolley has been known to be torn trom the car by thetrolleyleaving the wire. The more Jfrequent diiiiculty. however, is eX- perienced by contact ot3 the trolley with the usual wiring, sometimes breaking the wire and sometimes breaking the trolley.

It is essential that a safety clutch be pro! vided that will pla-y out'and take up rope as the trolle-y raises and lowers to the uneven height ot the trolley wire and that any sudden rise ot the trolley as when it leaves the trolley wire will immediately arrest the upward movement of the trolley before it can raise to a height that will contact with the overhead wires. y,

The present invention has provided a `trolley safety clutch that will' allow the trolley to follow the uneven height of the trolley wire and that will when the trolley leaves the trolley wire immediately arrest the upward movement of the trolley and prevent damage ot the trolley and overhead wires.

With these and other objects in view; the

invention consists in the'features of c0nstruction. combinations `and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, the

accompanying drawings illustrati n n a safety trolley clutch embodying the features of the invention. Y

In the drawings :-V

Fig. l is a fragmentary view of an electric car with the improved safety clutch atf tached.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional View taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken online 3k3 of Fig. l

rlhe casino; l is provided with the shoulder 2 and flange 3, andthe casing No.4v rests against the shoulder and within the'iange formingi a housingthe members being secured rigidly together by the stud bolt 5.

Y Upon the studbolt 5 is revolubly mounted the winding drum 6 whichV is providedwith theannular flangev 7 which in turn is pro- -`v1ded with y the integral internal ratchetteeth`8. A'

The arms 9 and y10 are pivotally connected by the pivot pin 11 to the boss 12 with-in the.

'casing member 1 and the crossbar 13 within thecasingr member-4, the oppositefend eithei Varms being' connected by the pin. 14, on 'which the pulley `15 is revolubly mounted and from which: the' connectingbar 16 connects by the Vscrew 17 to the ratchet pawl'18 Ypivoted to the casing member 4 bythescrew 19. l

The arms 9 and 10 are normally main? tained in the position shown in Fig. 3, by the compression spring 20 whichis seated around the pin 21 extending from the casing members 1 and 4 and the pin 22 extending 9 and 10 in the position shown. It is obvious, however, that either oit' the springs 2O and 26 would be sufficient if made of `the required strength.

Secured to the casing member 4 by the stud bolt 5 and nutl 29 is the cross bar 30V which engages with the base 31v bolted to the end sheet 32 of the car 33, the cross bar being shown merely as a means of detachably securing' the housing to thecar, so that it may be mounted on either end of al car that is not turned at the end oic a trip;

Withinthe winding drum is a coil spring '34: connecting` the drum and the stud bolt 5, and this spring is so mounted as to oppose the unwinding of the rope 24 and always has a tendency to wind the rope upon the.y

drum. p The rope may be kwithdrawn from the cas- Yand 4 and lift the ratchet pawl 18 by theV connecting bar 16Vsothat it will engage the j ratchet teeth 8 and instantly prevent further-unwinding of the rope 2%.

The rope is attaQhedtOfthe trolleypo'le 36,

and as the pole pla-ysupwardly and-down wardly by the uneven height of the usual trolley wire the rope 24t'will'be Amaintained ta-ut by the spring 34, but when the trolley leaves the usual trolley'wire Aand starts up- Y ward'ly with ya sudden acceleration ofspeed the ratchet pawlflS will engage the teeth 8 f and instantly preyent further upward movenient or' the ltrolley,this preventing the trolley from being broken or torn lfrom the Car, land preventing injuryto the usual overhead .wiring. I t

`l/Vhatluclaim as new and desire to secure '1. In ya trolley rope Safetyeluteh, a revolubly mounted drum, a easing around saidv drum, a rope Wound on said'drum and leading therefrom, an opening in said casing and forming a `guide around said rope' adjacent said drum, an arm pivotally mounted in said casing between said drum and said opening,

`a pulley journaled in said arm and bearing ,againstsaid rope, y said Yarm extending toward the center or' said drum and alongside thereof, a ratehetpawl connected to said arm, anda ratchet Wheel'rigid with said drum so that a Vsudden pull on said rope will, through said pulley and said arm,

-throw said pawlinto engagement with( said ratchet wheel.

25111 a trolley rope Safety clutch, a casing,

a drum revolubly lmounted withinsaid casing, 'an annular -lange on ysaid drum, internal ,ratchet teeth rigid with said flange, said casing provided with a radially extending h`ollowl portion .open at 'the outer end thereof, a rope passing through said extending hollow portion and Nwound 'around said f drum, kspring within sald drum to wind said rope on said drinn, an Tarih pivotally connected to 'said caslng" within said extending hollow portion, a ratchet pawl pivotall'y mounted in said easing'adj-acent 'said ratchet teeth, and said arm" and vsaid ratchet pawl pivotally Connected so that asudden pull on said rope will operate said arm and lengagesaid ratehet-pawl with saidratehe't teeth.y

Y y Wigman' e. trasmite. 

